10 Most Badass Wrestlers In The World Today

1. Tomohiro Ishii

Jon Moxley
NJPW.co.jp

There are two areas in which Tomohiro Ishii is the best wrestler in the world:-

1. Selling.

2. Projecting pure, unfiltered badassery.

The first point informs the second. Being a badass isn't just about dishing out a beating, but taking one too. The 'Stone Pitbull' draws you into his struggle by wincing, grunting, groaning, and clinging onto a targeted limb as if it's about to fall off, and for his ability to sustain exorbitant amounts of punishment but still get up, bark in his opponent's face, and go toe-to-toe with them with hardnosed defiance, Ishii comes off tougher than $1 steak. That it takes an army's worth of force to put him down makes this downright scary, too. It's like hitting an indestructible zombie.

A disciple of Riki Choshu and legendary puroresu curmudgeon Genichiro Tenryu, Ishii is harder than granite. There's a reason Wrestling Observer readers have voted him Best Brawler for each of the past five years. Stiffness, grit, and occasional nastiness mesh with a bruising Strong Style moveset to make Ishii wrestling's one true bludgeon brother. It's a perfect cocktail of badassery that ensures his name's always mentioned in any credible "best in the world" discussion.

Watch Next


Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.